Nightfiend's (PFS-Standard) #7-18 Faithless and Forgotten, Part 3: The Infernal Inheritance (Inactive)

Game Master Nightfiend

"What a beautiful steed... reduced to pulling a wagon. He deserves a more glorious life than this."

<------LoL......You don't feel any better about stealing the cart.

I do have Handle animal at +5 or I can do Charisma at +1. I will an unspecified D20 with no mods and let you decide which you think fits best.

Handle animal is fine here. The statement made about using charisma applies to those who do not have animal handling trained and wish to interact or motivate a domestic animal.

The group loads their injured charges into the wagon while the guards cover more ground, closing the gap even further. Once within range, the guards loose a battery of javelins at those within the cart. During the attack Felli puts his back into a heavy push against the cask of ale. The rogue comes to the conclusion that the cask is three quarters full and too heavy for him to dislodge alone. (Strength check failed.)

Up and down the streets commoners scream out in alarm as the pursuing guards throw javelins. Bellflower (3) -4 hp. A barrage of clanks and clunks sound out as the javelins strike the cart and cask. Fortunately all but one of the javelins are impeded by the cover of the cart and its contents. Before the guards can ready a second javelin attack, the group manages to inspire the draft horse and put some distance between the guards and yourselves. Looking back, Serge has a moment of heavy regret about taking the wagon as he observes the brewer and his three children run outside in time to watch their only source of income take off down the street. Unlike previous grey areas, which involved transgressions vs a tyrannical government that embraces the aid of devils, this transgression hits a little closer to home. It becomes obvious that the paladin’s actions have left an innocent man without means to support his family. Although the act alone has not lead the paladin completely down a dark path, it has left him at the gate of judgment. (Serge is having heavy regrets about this particular action.)

The wagon moves down the street at a brisk pace, which causes the local inhabitants to lunge out of the way. The guards try and keep up, but find themselves heavily out paced by the wagon and steed. Over the course of the flight the group observes an Asmodean Service that looks like it would have been an ample opportunity to invoke another distraction. With the pace of the cart it now makes no sense to slow down and create additional havoc. In addition to the service, the group also views a number of street performances and a temporary fighting pit that sits just before the harbor. With the extra distance you managed to place between yourselves and the guards, you find enough time to locate the queen gale, which is your designated extraction ship. The Queen Gale lifts anchor and prepares to disembark as soon as the see you barreling down the planks. The ship sets sale and heads east at a brisk pace. During the trip home Zifero and the Bellflower agents thank you repeatedly for saving them. Once Zifero manages to regain his composure, he asks if you found his historical documentation. After going through what items you acquired, you realize that his documents are not included. Although the historian seems a little sad about losing the documents he is still quite happy that you saved him from what appeared to be certain death.

Once everyone arrives back in Absalom, your group meets up with Venture-Captain Dennel Hamshanks and Zarta Dralneen for a debriefing. Partway through the debriefing Tamrin joins in with his account of what took place. IN appreciation of your participation the society has set aside a number of items that can be bought at a reasonable price.

This concludes Faithless and Forgotten, Part 3 (The Infernal Inheritance). I should have chronicles up some time this week. I hope everyone enjoyed the series.

PRIMARY SUCCESS CONDITION
PCs who return Zefiro to the Society alive fulfill their primary mission and earn 1 Prestige Point.

SECONDARY SUCCESS CONDITION
The PCs fulfill their secondary success conditions by maximizing their finds in the Bloody Nail and minimizing Cheliax’s ability and cause to track who infiltrated the facility. They accomplish this by completing at least three of the following five tasks: kill none of the Bloody Nail guards; recover Zefiro’s unaltered histories from area A9 (The vault); cause at least eight delays while fleeing Ostenso; defeat the interrogator’s forces in area B in seven rounds or fewer; or avoid the final combat encounter entirely. Doing so earns each PC 1 additional Prestige Point.

You managed to not kill any of guards, you successfully avoided the final encounter, and I’m going to count the (8) delays as a success seeing they become circumvented by the use of the wagon. In addition, everyone observes a dark cloud hovering over the paladin as he continually keeps thinking about that poor brewers family.

Felli puts his hand on Serge's shoulder to comfort him and to put some common sense into him. "Don't worry my friend. We just 'borrowed' the wagon and his horse. I'm sure they were returned to him after our little escape."

It is remarkable we went through F&F, part 3 without even a fight. There were so many chances it would've fallen to combat. Felli is disappointed he didn't get a chance to break into the Vault though. I believe that book that came with a key and required the Linguistic check was the key to getting pass the lock.

Any chance we can grab a passing person on the docks and pay them to return the wagon? Your description alludes that there would be at least a few moments to work something out.. Although not at bad as Serge, Fundir would be taking this kinda rough with that description!!

Adding to Felli's comment,

"I have little doubt of otherwise, with this being such a lawful state.
Serge, your actions were still done for a good cause, keeping innocent halflings, and our charge, out of ruthless individuals' hands.
The cart will, like Felli said, surely be returned to the brewer. Take some comfort in it."

Any chance we can grab a passing person on the docks and pay them to return the wagon? Your description alludes that there would be at least a few moments to work something out.. Although not at bad as Serge, Fundir would be taking this kinda rough with that description!!

Time permitting, arrangements could have been sought. With the restraint of the guards hot on your heals, the best you can hope for, while avoiding the final conflict, would be that someone on the docs will be honorable enough to seek out the carts owner, or the local guards seize the cart as part of their investigation into who you are and where you came from. Ultimately, once no more information can be ascertained about who was driving the cart, the officials might potentially return the cart with a wayward shrug about what happened to the three quarters filled cask that mysteriously ended up dry. Either way, the brewer’s contribution to his quarterly income has absolutely been compromised. That being said, Serge is a vengeance oath bound paladin. This means that serge isn’t held to the same standards as a vanilla paladin. Although he most likely feels bad for the brewer’s situation, his ethical commitment has not been compromised. With consideration of Serge’s chosen god and the fact that Cheliax embraces the assistance of devils to further their cause, I have allowed a lot of leeway in regards to the paladin’s role in this scenario. Add to that that he is an outbound paladin of vengeance; you could justify a lot of gray area actions on his part. This doesn’t make him feel any better about consequences of his actions. The brewer was just trying to make an honest living and happened to be a victim of circumstances.

Serge casts his gaze downwards as the team walks out of the Venture-Captain's office and drags his feet along the cobblestones. "I appreciate your reassurance, Mia, but this is one journey I wish I had not taken," he says to Mia and Felli. "Did I meet some lovely companions and keep harm from coming from them? Did we help the Society and its relationship with Cheliax? Absolutely, but in the process, I betrayed the Chelish guards, helped break into a prison, and even stole a wagon. What will that brewer and his poor family do now?" Serge is getting agitated and angry. "Do I go back there and ensure he's safe? Do I simply chalk it up to another mistake on my long list?" He sighs heavily, then stomps off. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm even cut out for this sacred follower thing. ... I'll be at the bar. Feel free to join me for a drink or three."

Great game, GM and fellow players. I really enjoyed Serge being confronted with moral and ethical dilemmas several times throughout these adventures. I totally knew this would happen when I signed up a paladin to travel to Cheliax, and Nightfiend even warned me ahead of time. It was interesting and really helped in his character development.

Mia felt no regret about the prison bust, but Serge made a fair point about having a right to be worried over the brewer and his family.

She looks at Felli, who likely listened to Serge's speech.
"We'd best follow him, and make sure our friend doesn't do anything rash in his current mood."

"Fundir, you coming too?"

Mia follows Serge into the bar.
She'll listen to Serge, if he needs to get things off his chest.
Yet at drink #3, he seems, to Mia at least, not to take the alcohol very well.

She taps him on the back.
Guidance for any fort roll vs nausea from the booze.

If he still acts very down at that point....
She grabs his face with both hands, with a sympathetic look.
"Look, i can understand you being worried over that family, i do.
But if there is one thing you can rely on for those devil worshipers to be, is strict discipline in upholding structure and order, and that means the brewer has his cart back.
You've shown yourself to be a good man, and we can't all be perfect, just do as much good as you can in the time you're given. That's all you can do in service for what god you follow."

She lets go, and leans on the counter again, as the tiny bird starts singing, sitting on her shoulder.
"I know of another place we could go to unwind. There is this park nearby, it's beautiful. It is said the sunset is particularly pretty when sitting in its center."

Solstice doesn't even TRY to comfort Serge. His thinking is just too alien to her, even to the point of being a bit of a turn-off. She decides to do her own celebrating at a bar known to be frequented by rowdy northern barbarians, a slice of home, where she can share a good laugh at the Paladin's expense. Some of the boasts as to what THEY would have been done when confronted by squad of Chellaxian guards while armed with a cask of ale ventured and then crossed the realm of probability - as was their way.

Gods, sometimes I miss home.

and a good time was had by all. Particularly when Solstice bought the next round of drinks.

... and, then again, sometimes I don't :)

Fundir breathes a sigh of relief as the ship pulls out and the journey home begins. "I am going to need a trip home after this.." he thinks wistfully, knowing that the likelihood of such a rest is highly unlikely. His tension eases as he settles into the motion of the boat and the spray of the sea over the bow.

Seeing his friends consternation, he attempts to take Serge off to the side. "I am sure that the wagon will make its way back to the brewer. It was a hard choice, but it was the right choice at the time, my friend. I like it just as little as you, but it had to be done. There were other lives at stake.. lives that would have ended, not just 'maybe gone hungry'. You have saved lives on this journey, Serge. You have stood for the innocent, and have defeated those who would rule by power and might instead of justice. If, in the course of all that good, you participated in an act that has collateral consequences, then that is a burden that we all must bear. But you did well, my friend. You stood for right and you stood for justice."

When the ship lands in Absalom, he joyfully agrees to join the others at the tavern and chips in for his share of buying the rounds to celebrate a successful mission. As the rounds arrive, he hoists his tankard into the air. "To the gods who have blessed us with skill and luck. To the friends that have each others backs in trouble and strife, and lastly to those who fell in honorable combat."

I have truly enjoyed playing with all of you, and as always, a fine job, GM Nightfiend. I really hope I see you guys around on the boards and have more adventures with you!